Friends hello,

When I first saw variations of cinnamon-sugar focaccia circling through my social media feeds, I thought: Why?! Can't we keep focaccia as it is, oily, salty, and rosemary-flecked, perfect just the way it is?

I felt grumpy watching the videos of bubbly dough being brushed and dimpled with cinnamon-sugar butter baths and drizzled with milky glazes.

When I received comments with questions about how I might adapt this focaccia recipe into a cinnamon roll, I would reply: Don't know! Haven't tried!

But last weekend, I broke down and gave it a go. And I hate to admit it, but I really, really liked it. Assembling cinnamon rolls always feels like a process, from making the dough and rolling it out, to spreading on the filling and coiling it up, to slicing, baking, and making the glaze.

Cinnamon roll focaccia feels effortless in comparison. As many of you know, focaccia dough, made with 4 ingredients, takes no time to stir together, and it can hang out in your fridge for days.

Moreover, with cinnamon roll focaccia, there's no rolling and coiling — you'll fold and dimple the dough, but all of this takes place in the confines of the 9x13-inch pan you'll bake the focaccia in. You won't flour a work surface or your hands, you won't coil or cut. Overall, it's very simple.

This would be the perfect thing to make for a fall or winter brunch, when you need something sweet to feed a crowd but maybe don't have the energy for a more elaborate ensemble. I hope you all give it a go sometime soon, and I hope you have a great weekend, too 👋

Cinnamon-Sugar Focaccia

PS: Your Homework Assignment: If you find yourself making a no-knead dough, such as this focaccia or Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread, this weekend, try adding a set of stretches and folds, 30 minutes after mixing the dough:

You will be astounded by the bubbles your rising dough creates:

Review of the Week

A plate of honey-soy oven-baked chicken drumsticks.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Honey-Soy Chicken

"AMAZING recipe!!! I have 3 kids under 8 that just gobbled it up! No questions asked. Thank you. Absolutely delicious!"

— Diana

7 Late-Summer Recipes

My only goal for the next few weeks is to eat as much corn and as many tomatoes as possible before they disappear for what will feel like forever. Here are a few late-summer recipes to make on repeat:

Elemental Tomato Salad: Flaky sea salt, equal parts olive oil and white balsamic vinegar (3 tablespoons each, roughly), fresh basil, dollops of burrata, pepper.